Always give them what they want

Was anyone really surprised when Senator Feingold announced he was going to pursue again legislation to “censure” the president and vice president? As I note in this week’s column,

Feingold’s motive for re-introducing his going-nowhere idea isn’t that hard to understand. Among his other leisure time pursuits, Feingold writes a “diary” at the radical left website Daily Kos. Feingold recently stirred up controversy there when he made the normally uncontroversial statement he was not going to pursue the impeachment of the President and Vice President. He did tell his audience that he thought the President and Vice President committed impeachable offenses, “(b)ut on balance, I think Congress’s time is much better spent ending the war in Iraq, conducting the oversight that was absent for the last six years, and advancing progressive legislation.”

Then came the wailing and gnashing of teeth, at last count 1889 comments in response. Some were supportive of the senator but most vehemently disagreed with his statement. Many were of the tenor that Feingold had “sold out”.

… These rants would be easily dismissed except they come from Feingold’s base of support. Feingold assiduously courts these people, whether he’s exploring a run for president or trying to raise support for his pet cause of campaign finance reform. They’re the “Netroots,” and they were just let down by their hero.

A week later, Senator Feingold was on “Meet the Press” telling Tim Russert of his desire to resuscitate his efforts to “censure” the president and the vice president. Hero status restored.

I also take a look at the likely Gard vs. Kagen rematch:

Gard has two advantages over his potential primary opponents. He already has the support of much of the Republican Party infrastructure and he has a campaign infrastructure already in place. Gard should build an early fundraising advantage that will force all but the most hardened dead-enders out of the race.

On the Democratic side, first-term Congressman Steve Kagen is looking increasingly vulnerable and out of touch with his district. Of the Democrats’ “Frontline” candidates, Kagen will be the only congressman to attend the YearlyKos convention in Chicago. Associating with the conspiracy theory political left is not going to help in a swing district.